A Visionary on Wheels

In addition to loving L.A.'s taco trucks (see post on June 19), I guess I'm just fascinated by any business that can simply be hitched up and rolled wherever it might be needed.

That portable concept has now been applied to eco-friendly clothing and gift items. Visionary Boutique, a beautiful little shop headquartered at 5285 W. Pico Blvd., is owned by mom-entrepreneur Magda Rod. She and some of her "green" friends helped transform a 1966 Airstream trailer into a boutique on wheels. The result is a rolling storefront that can be "hired" for parties, eco-makeovers (to help women learn about how to keep the chemicals out of their beauty products) or other occasions.

If you want to check out the static shopping experience, bring your own wheels to the store, which is stocked with a variety of books, bedding and bath and body products. There's clothing, of course, including Magda's own children's clothing line, Wildchild Wear. One of my favorite items in the line is the Visionary necklace ($32), which includes a peace sign and a tiny scroll, upon which the wearer can jot down her wish for the world.

And just to make sure she keeps it all "green," she plants one tree for every item sold in the boutique or mobile store.

I've Got Mail: Curry!

I might as well as admit it right off the bat: I've never been a big curry fan. The aroma seemed a bit overpowering and never really jived with my tastebuds. But as my palatte has broadened over the years, I've begun to discover these intricate flavors that have been so seriously misunderstood by me, Miss Meat and Potatoes.

These days I really enjoy sampling and savoring curries at L.A.'s vast and varied ethnic restaurants but had yet to try it out at home – till I received the nicely packaged set of Curry Love sauces. Simmered up by L.A.-based chef Michael Buechi, this line of gourmet, USDA-certified organic curry sauces are a tasty way to spice up those weekday dinner doldrums.

Husband Steve whipped up the suggested recipes printed right on the jars, making dinner a snap. We've tried the Blissful Banana Ginger Curry, which combines banana and coconut milk with ginger, lemongrass and lime juice. Tasty. The Luscious Yellow Thai Curry gave the chicken a zing with its ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon with cumin and turmeric. The Passion Red Thai Curry, the spiciest of the bunch, will be dished up this week (I'm thinking with shrimp).

The only drawback? My kids werent' crazy about them. Nine-year-old Kate will always give our experiments a try, but Mr. Meat and Potatoes Jack, at age 4, stuck just to the rice side dish. But I'm thinking they'll both come around with time – just as I had to do.

The Curry Love Gift Set comes with all three sauces in a pretty, recycled and biodegradable box with a tea candle and set of matches (just to set the slightly saucy mood). The set retails for $25.50 while the individual sauces sell for $6.99. And just for good measure, 1% of the profits goes to 1% for the Planet.

To get those tastebuds fired up, Chef Buechi serves up some recipes on the Curry Love Web site, such as this one:

This summer recipe features the Curry Love^TM Luscious Yellow Thai Curry Sauce, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, peppers, eggplant, cilantro, cashew nuts, and chicken (optional for vegetarians) as the main ingredients.

Recipe Ingredients
*    2 Tsp cooking oil
*    1 pound chicken breast, skinless and sliced
*    salt + pepper
*    1 pepper (green, red or yellow)
*    3 Tsp cooking oil
*    2 cups eggplant cut into cubes
*    1 cup sugar snap peas
*    1 cup mushrooms quartered
*    Cilantro (for garnish)
*    chopped unsalted cashew nuts (for garnish)

Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a skillet and heat till very hot, add the chicken and season with salt and pepper
2. Cook until browned on all sides, approximately 2 minutes
3. Transfer the meat to a plate and keep warm
4. Add the second measure of oil to pan and add the eggplant, roast on low heat until brown
5. Next add the mushrooms and sugar snap peas and stirfry for 2 minutes
6. Add the Curry Love^TM Luscious Yellow Thai Curry Sauce to the pan and simmer over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally
7. Add the meat and bring to a short boil, do not boil for longer than 2 minutes or the meat will become tough
8. Before serving, garnish with cilantro and chopped cashew nuts

Serve with steamed rice, noodles or warmed grains. Recipe serves 2-4 people.

A Thriller

When we visited the new Grammy Museum at L.A. Live a few weeks ago, I felt as though I'd stumbled upon a great little hidden gem. Each exhibit and artifact is thoughtfully arranged and invites visitors of all ages and backgrounds to explore the depth and meaning of music in all its forms, from folk to funk and punk to pop.

Which brings us to the startling news on Thursday of the death of Michael Jackson. I pulled the kids over to the computer for a YouTube tour of this iconic character so deeply rooted in our current culture. Sensitive little Jack was somewhat freaked out by the Thriller video, which I remember seeing in its "world premiere" form on MTV in my acid-washed jeans and heavy eyeliner.

Start building your kids' musical education with a tour of the Grammy Museum, where you'll find, in addition to all genres of music, a celebration of the life and work of the pop star in the exhibit Michael Jackson: HIStyle.

You'll find videos of his Grammy performances as well as an array of jackets – which Michael was known to wear as "house coats" – and two of his ubiquitous sparkly gloves. One of the jackets on display was worn by Michael when he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Show your kids the Thriller video (unless they're scared of zombies like Jack) and then take them to see the suit he wore on the album cover.

The repurposed exhibit will open to the public at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday (June 27). Museum hours are 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Sunday-Friday. Admission is $14.95 for adults and $10.95 ages 6-17 (free for ages 5 and younger). Tickets are sold on a timed-entry basis for entering every 15 minutes to avoid crowding of the exhibits. Purchase tickets ahead of time to ensure you get your preferred time.

The Motivating Mat

I've learned a little something about myself when it comes to any form of exercise – I need a gadget or other cool thing to get me through it. I have to have the shiny iPod and various podcasts to survive the treadmill, a pedometer if I'm going to take long walks and the bike with all the bells and whistles if you're going to get me pedaling.

But this relatively new product caught my eye and has me motivated to get all bendy in my Spandex shorts again – the Yogamatic customizable, eco-friendly yoga mat.

Upload your own photo or do what I did – pick an image you like – and you'll receive a dandy durable, colorful and motivational mat. While it's a bit on the pricey side ($85), having the sweet faces of your children or your favorite vacation photo to stare at while you're trying to get into the pose is a good reason to unfurl your mat on a more regular basis.

Yogamatic, based right here is Southern California, offers hundreds of images to choose from (aside from your own) that can be imprinted on the 73" x 24" mat, which is made from sustainable natural rubber. It's plenty cushy (3/8" thick) and grippy, even if you're a bit more advanced in your skills than I am. And a portion of the sale of each mat is donated to Global Green.

Olive approved of my new mat (I love my "Veedub" design) – however, she decided she was the only one who should be doing a downward dog.

A Punch-Up For Lunch

All kids are prone to sandwich boredom, but a mom in Melbourne, Australia, created a puzzle-based solution to the age-old problem: How do I get my child to eat her sandwich?

The Lunch Punch ($16, available at www.sweetmadys.com) cuts puzzle pieces out of your child’s PB&J (or other favorite sandwich or cut-able snack) and removes the crusts, too. So kids can feed their love of puzzles while they fill their tummies. Each Lunch Punch set comes in four shapes that are dishwasher safe.

Coming soon are the new and adorable line of critter punches. We are using them to spice up the daycamp lunch kits and relaxed morning breakfast routine. Kate liked the dog (pictured), and Jack liked the elephant. But there's a butterfly and whales, too.